Tune into this powerful episode on triumphing over adversity and overcoming failure in business and life. Andy shares his personal story with business failure of owning 18 gyms, restaurants, a night club, a food service business and more and then after Covid losing it all, to then rebuild a multi-million dollar business again, yet with a different mindset and business vehicle.
What if you could learn to embrace struggle and use it as your superpower? There is a gift in embracing failure as your biggest teacher. Learn how and why overcoming failure can be a blessing and transform who you are as a person and expand your business results even farther faster!
Andy Anderson has had a multifaceted career in business and fitness. He is a professional athlete with World Beauty Fitness and Fashion. He is the CEO and Founder of Relentless Education. He is the host of the podcast Relentless Education. Andy is also an Internationally published author. He is a business coach and mentor and has a passion for building 7 figure businesses and teaching others to do the same.
Follow Andy:
Website: relentlesseducation.com.au
Instagram: andy_i_anderson
Book: The Ultimate You, Change Your Mind Transform Your Life
Entrepreneurial Elevation is proud to announce Coach Core becoming our official podcast sponsor!! Find out more information about their services at coachcore.ca
Disclaimer
The Entrepreneurial Elevation Podcast and content posted by Kelley Beveridge is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.
Transcript
[00:00:00] Andy discusses the power of recognizing opportunities in adversity, essential for entrepreneurs to cultivate resilience and perseverance.
[00:01:00] Host Kelley introduces Andy, highlighting his multifaceted career and his goal to help other entrepreneurs reach seven figures through peak performance.
[00:02:37] Andy shares his excitement about contributing to the podcast and begins discussing the importance of embracing struggle and adversity to uncover hidden opportunities.
[00:03:14] Emphasizing competitiveness, Andy discusses leveraging adversity as a competitive advantage in entrepreneurship.
[00:04:25] Discussing resilience, Andy explains how personal challenges, including family tragedies and financial struggles, shaped his early resilience and mindset.
[00:05:22] From personal adversity to professional development, Andy connects his past experiences with his entrepreneurial drive and commitment to personal growth.
[00:06:27] Andy talks about learning from both personal experiences and the successes and failures of others through biographies, aiming to replicate their resilience and mindset.
[00:08:53] Kelley asks Andy about his darkest moments in entrepreneurship, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when he had to close multiple business locations.
[00:11:00] Andy details the financial and emotional impact of the pandemic on his businesses, leading to a significant downsizing and a shift in his entrepreneurial focus.
[00:13:20] Discussing the emotional journey of overcoming business failures, Andy emphasizes the importance of maintaining physical and mental health, and making strategic decisions.
[00:14:31] Andy underscores the importance of learning from failure, maintaining health and wellness, and having faith in oneself to navigate through and emerge stronger from business challenges.
[00:17:59] Wrapping up, Andy highlights the lessons learned about resilience, the importance of adapting to new challenges, and how these experiences have refined his leadership style and personal growth.
[00:19:36] Kelley and Andy discuss when it's right to change direction in business, distinguishing between quitting and strategic pivoting.
[00:23:09] Andy explains his thought process for evaluating business decisions, focusing on matching a level 10 skill set with a level 10 vehicle.
[00:27:29] Discussing the concept of playing to win, Andy shares his strategies for maintaining focus and energy to build businesses effectively.
[00:30:31] Andy describes his daily practices for maintaining a strong mindset and regulating his nervous system to support his entrepreneurial activities.
[00:33:20] They explore the balance between hustle and health, discussing the importance of understanding personal limits and seasons in entrepreneurship.
[00:36:22] Andy shares his meditation practice and other rituals that help him stay focused and aligned, emphasizing the importance of self-care in maintaining business momentum.
[00:39:18] Kelley asks how Andy's experiences have influenced his leadership style today, to which Andy responds with insights into how adversity has made him a better leader.
[00:42:43] Closing the discussion, Andy encourages listeners to embrace physical, mental, and emotional health as foundational elements for success in business and life.
Transcripts
[:
[00:00:19] They're going to feel adversity, see it as a red light rather than a green light and back the F up and run away. And, and that can either be your unfortunate chink in your armor or it could be your advantage. And so I like to think of it as a superpower. And when I feel struggle or see struggle rather than.
[:
[00:01:00] Welcome fellow entrepreneurs and goal getters to Entrepreneurial Elevation Unleashing Greatness Within with myself, Kelley Beveridge, your host and our special guest today, all the way from Australia. Super stoked to have him here. Andy Anderson. I've just known this guy briefly and already, I just, I love his energy.
[:
[00:01:35] Just a few things about Andy. He's a multi, he's had a multi faceted career in business and fitness. He's He's the CEO and founder of Relentless Education. He has a podcast as well called Relentless Education. Go check it out. He was a professional athlete in the sport of WBFF, and he's an internationally published author.
[:
[00:02:21] So this is what we're going to talk today about. And I'm excited to learn from Andy. So we're going to be talking about triumphing over adversity and a conversation of overcoming failure. And so just Andy, welcome to the call. Kelley, thank you for having me. I'm really stoked to be here and I love what you do.
[:
[00:02:56] And so I'm going to start with this question, which is [00:03:00] why do you feel struggle and embracing our moments of failure can become our biggest ally and secret weapon? And that's what your message was today. So I thought, what a great way to start the episode today. Yeah, it's such a great question. And look, I, I think.
[:
[00:03:41] I think more specifically being able to see that the hidden opportunities within adversity is, is just like a superpower that great entrepreneurs can cultivate and have. And why it's so important is, is that most people, if they don't have that intention or awareness will give up, they're going to, they're going to feel [00:04:00] struggle, they're going to feel adversity, see it as a red light rather than a green light and back the F up and run away.
[:
[00:04:25] And so I think with every, every struggle, every adversity, there is always gold. There is always opportunity. And if you can. I guess flex the muscle or build the muscle around seeing that and seizing those opportunities. It is so hard to lose long term. Yeah, for sure. Now you say that, and how did that resiliency come about?
[:
[00:05:04] Yeah, look, I think there's a few different ways you can cultivate this mindset. I feel like I started to cultivate it quite young just because I had to face a lot, a lot of adversity. Naturally. I lost my dad early on. I lost my brother to suicide. We had a lot of financial challenges in the family growing up.
[:
[00:05:48] And then as I started to delve more into personal development and wanting to change my life and be successful, I just started to notice that that was a pattern of a mindset pattern [00:06:00] in the most successful people in the world. And I'm obsessed with biographies. I love reading about, I might just actually show you something here.
[:
[00:06:27] Not only learn from your own experiences, but learn from the best of the best. So I think with all of that combined, you start to see a pretty clear strategy that you can deliver in your own life. It's kind of like, as you're speaking, I'm thinking with resistance or adversity, it gives us choice, right?
[:
[00:07:05] I don't know where I would be actually right now. I wouldn't be the version of the self I am today talking to you. Yeah it changes you, right? It toughens you up for sure. It makes you smarter if you choose to let it make you smarter, of course. But I definitely feel like it also hones in your ability to see the right opportunities.
[:
[00:07:40] A bit of a romance or a bit of a fantasy about them. And then as you go through them, I initially ran a lot on passion and, and decisions like that. And I jumped into a bunch of different businesses in multiple clubs, like restaurants i had a restaurant, nightclub, bar, worst business I've ever had. Terrible, [00:08:00] but it sounded like a good idea and it's, it seemed exciting.
[:
[00:08:25] And there's so much in the entrepreneurial game that you need to learn over time. Failure is often your best teacher in really, cultivating the best version of you as an entrepreneur and as a human. Absolutely. And maybe Andy, take us back to a time in your entrepreneurial journey. When was maybe an example or two of your darkest moments when it came to failure within a business?
[:
[00:09:15] So Victoria will close for basically three years on and off. And it was insane. I had 18 gyms, I had a nightclub, restaurant, a food prep business. And basically all of the industries that were shut down the most, I was, I was in unfortunately, and at the stage we were, we were growing rapidly. I had a an amazing brand, me and my ex wife, we were, we were building this thing purely on passion and excitement for 12 years.
[:
[00:10:10] And it was phenomenal. Got a book deal. We launched a , I got a TV show deal here in Australia as well. Everything was just rocketing. Like that COVID hit and of course that first 12 months was was fine But by year two and year three it just absolutely bled the business we had of course rent overheads that we didn't really get breaks from we had finance On equipment we had staffing to look after we had other sort of business lines in the background Then of course with with all the chaos we had crazy amount of legal expenses started to take place arguments with landlords It was just The most insane experience you could imagine anything that could go wrong did go wrong at that time and by the end of it, we just had no option, but to start closing locations and start closing [00:11:00] businesses.
[:
[00:11:24] We had to close a lot of them. I think by the end of year three, we had, we went from 18 to five. And then slowly I decided that I wanted to get out of, out of the gyms completely. And we started winding down, down those gyms, but through that, because I had no option, but to pivot online, I moved my fitness stuff online.
[:
[00:12:11] I, me and my wife built that business. So my ex wife, we built that business around me basically, and me being that brand. And so it was like a piece of me died. And, and I, and I think a piece of me did die, to be honest. So I, I came out of that fire, a different human in so many different ways. And now looking back, I'm so grateful for is the best thing that could have ever happened to me now, not then, definitely now.
[:
[00:13:00] I didn't You think you, you think that previously, but you're unsure when you go through something like that, to that extreme and you come out better, wow, you are actually are unstoppable. And so that's the gift I got to get myself through that, through that journey. Oh my gosh. First of all, like great job getting through that.
[:
[00:13:40] Once you're through it and we'll talk about the blessings yet, it's hindsight is 2020, right? It's always easier to see the blessings once you're through it. Once when you're in it, what did you do? What was the process you went through and what guidance could you give? Maybe the listeners right now that they're going through something similar or they've [00:14:00] failed at some area in their business or their life and they're in that space of their emotions, were pretty high around it in the grieving space.
[:
[00:14:31] So what that means is when you're going through emotional stress like that, I guess your, your instinct is to numb it as quickly as you can through alcohol, through drugs thru. I don't know, whatever your vice is, but my, my strong advice is to stay away from as much of the depressants as possible. As much of the numbing as possible and find better vehicles to, to keep yourself sharp and up.
[:
[00:15:16] If I didn't have my health as like the core through that phase, I don't know. I don't know how I would have ended up. I really made that a priority. I just knew intuitively I had to make that a focus. I stayed fit, kept my routine, kept my food as clean as possible. I did drink every now and then probably, probably should have stayed away from wine a little bit more than I did.
[:
[00:15:54] Okay. In, in the juja, you need to have faith in you and whether you believe [00:16:00] in God or the universe or whatever your, your beliefs are, I think you have to have this foundational faith that it's happening for you, not to you. And I, I kept just trying to force myself back to that truth, which I really believe is, is real.
[:
[00:16:40] And I kept reminding myself that I kept journaling on that and through that and through reminding myself, it really did, I think, take the edge off and helped me just detach a little bit, released from having to try to control all of that in the moment challenges and problems and just let the universe take care of it.
[:
[00:17:20] What, what do you want to do? Have a bit of grace with yourself. You don't need to jump into a million dollar business straight away. Give yourself time to grieve and feel and, and relax a little bit too, but always have your, your eye on the ball. What could be that next? Big version of you because when you think it and feel it, you'll learn and then you can move forward.
[:
[00:17:59] [00:18:00] So I'm just going to focus on that. And I can tell you that's where clarity comes from, right? When we're feeling great and we have some energy in our mindsets back on track, then it's easier to find solutions and even think of what could be possible. And I love everything that you just talked about, Andy.
[:
[00:18:42] And, and just listening to your story, like you are, it went backwards. You're at your five gyms and then you made that decision. No, I'm going to let it go and go reinvent myself and take my skill set and apply it somewhere else. And I decided to do that too. But here's my question. How do you know? [00:19:00] If that, when that is the right decision, because I went through so much angst in my mindset of am I giving up, am I giving up, am I throwing in the towel, am I not willing to do whatever it takes, which I pride myself on, and oh my gosh, I went through that, so I'm just curious your take on that.
[:
[00:19:36] I went through that exact same thinking and feeling process. And when you've been in something for so long, it's almost all we just know it so well that it's hard to. Move away from, you've really got to remove the emotion from the vehicle, right? And, and I, and one of the things that sort of triggered my thinking around this was I heard someone say, I can't remember the entrepreneur, but, but [00:20:00] someone said that you can sometimes have a level 10 skillset, but being a level three vehicle and to truly reach a full potential, you need to match a level 10 skillset with a level 10 vehicle.
[:
[00:20:29] You've got to evaluate the, the, the profit margins. You've got to evaluate the stress levels. You've got to evaluate the expenses. The liabilities and the risk. And so I'm looking at the vehicle that I was in, and then I was in that time to, to make money doing all of my, all of my things online. And I was looking at the current vehicles and I was just matching up industries, looking at my skillset, where can I apply what I know, and being a CEO of a large franchise business and being cafes, media, a whole bunch of [00:21:00] different things.
[:
[00:21:19] I looked at the vehicles. I try to remove emotion from it and think about what is the actual destination. And, and one of the things that I truly want out of it, not, not what maybe looks the coolest or what's the best for my ego at the time, really evaluating things more from a strategic standpoint. And so with all that said, I did, I removed emotion.
[:
[00:22:16] And I'm looking at that, and then I'm looking at my, my sales and marketing coaching and my online fitness staff, and I'm, I'm like, wow, I'm marketing all over the world, no restrictions. I, I'm not paying any rent or overheads, I've got a great head office here in Gold Coast, but it's one, not 18 times 150.
[:
[00:23:09] And so I hope that answered your question, but that's just basically the thought process that I went through. And I really think you need to remove your emotion from the business. And I guess my, my quick bit of advice around attaching your, your identity to a business would be that you need to love your, your vehicles and love your business.
[:
[00:23:46] Within your power there, no matter what happens to your vehicles, you're still on point and you may need to pivot, but your mission never changes. Your mission is always the same, but the vehicles, the direction may, may need to change. And if you are [00:24:00] strong in yourself, you will always be able to pivot.
[:
[00:24:22] And I'm, I'm curious how it became your teacher personally, like for yourself and, and what you believe in yourself and just what you learned about yourself and the person you are now because of that experience. Yeah. So the lessons, some lessons that I learned. . Yeah. So many, so many. And I would probably have to go for five hours.
[:
[00:25:06] And when you, you feel the pain of a big failure, but then you're able to come back and after pivoting me and my business partner, we built Relentless Education in the first eight months, we did 1. 6 million in the first eight months. And now two and a bit years later, it's only just grown and grown and grown.
[:
[00:25:47] And so for me, it just reinforced. My, my confidence, but also my humility, to be honest, I think I've come out of that a way better leader and a way better human in [00:26:00] general than I was before. I think at times I don't think I was extreme, but I think at times it's probably the cocky at times I thought it was invincible.
[:
[00:26:28] I think I'm more humble yet more confident. I think I'm more certain. I think I, I know how to see problems faster and and avoid them quicker. And I also know how to see opportunities and in a better light and put my energy into things worthwhile rather than just read myself being across a whole bunch of different shiny objects.
[:
[00:27:08] If someone else can do it, then I can do it. And then to your point, once you have created it once. And something happens. Now you have the validation for yourself that you've done it. Like you said, you're, you're going to win at business because you've won at business. So that is just take that question off the table and it makes it a heck of a lot easier, right?
[:
[00:27:47] I think that's, that truly then makes you a real entrepreneur. I didn't, I, before I considered myself a good entrepreneur because I'd grown, I'd built a franchise system. We did have 20 million in sales, had the [00:28:00] nightclubs, the book and all these different things back then. Until I lost it and then came back.
[:
[00:28:24] Absolutely. As you're speaking, you didn't use this language, but what came to my mind is playing to win. And I'm wondering if you could chat about that because I think in business, I coach a lot of entrepreneurs. That's a big part of what I do. And I, I see that there's this disconnect where most people play not to lose.
[:
[00:29:04] Yeah. Like how does somebody bring that kind of mindset and mentality to the table? Yeah. I think playing to win. Is crucial, but it's not just about the end goal, like the macro goal. It's about the, it's about who you become on the journey to that destination. And probably that's probably even more important than the actual destination, to be honest, and it's the same as an athlete.
[:
[00:29:51] And it's the same in business and it's the same in any way that you challenge yourself. I skydive, I got my solo skydiving license and I, I [00:30:00] chose that because I fucking hate heights. Like I'm scared shitless of heights. And my biggest fear is, is falling off out of a plane. And that always scared the shit out of me.
[:
[00:30:31] And part of that was choosing skydiving. Part of that was rebuilding multiple businesses. Part of that was delving into ayahuasca and doing some other things that just helped me face some internal things. And I think that when you're playing to win. It's about those daily micro improvements and keeping promises to yourself where maybe previously you would Give up or previously you would just not show up for yourself And that's where the gold is and if [00:31:00] you're playing to win, it's not just about Those hitting, hitting a 10, 000 cash deal or buying that house or any of those bigger moments.
[:
[00:31:34] And to your point of playing to win is also like you say, those micro doses, keeping your word, working on becoming a version of yourself. I'm curious your point of view of this from obviously male perspective, masculine perspective yet. What, because I feel, and this is a generalization, but. Most masculine perspective is hustle.
[:
[00:32:15] And I, and I really. Like it's such a great question and I, I really think it depends on who you are and what your values are. I don't think there's a simple answer to that because everyone has to understand there's no right or wrong. You, your, your goals are your goals. Your values are your values. Your values shift at different times in your life.
[:
[00:32:54] And there is no right or wrong. I think when I was going, like the last five years have been [00:33:00] such an interesting time for me. Where a part of that I needed to remove some of the hustle and just, I don't know. It was like, it was like my nervous system just needed to rebuild or something. I needed to just quiet myself down a little bit and regroup and reenergize and just get my mindset back on track.
[:
[00:33:38] To answer your question, how do you find that balance? Only you as a, as an entrepreneur, as a human can answer that. But I think what you need to focus on is get over the mentality that you always need to be on for the sake of being on and let yourself just ride the wave of where you're currently at.
[:
[00:34:16] So I know that's not a really specific answer, but I think that's the best one I can give. No, I like it. It's like they're seasons, right? And it's like understanding that they're seasons and just, just keep them know where you're at and what season and where things need to be. And. Yeah, I agree. Because it's just something I'm playing with too.
[:
[00:34:53] And so that would actually be maybe a question for you is, What do you do on a daily basis? What's your practice for your mindset? And [00:35:00] you talked about nervous system regulation and just to keep yourself calm so you can go out and build your business at the rate you are. Yeah, I've got a very strict morning ritual that I've done done for years and years.
[:
[00:35:31] It excites me. I do a workout. I do my ice bath and then I, I, I get to work from there and that's like my, my morning ritual to shift state, get me really focused on who I need to be, what I need to do. And that's worked for me for a very long time. And I love that practice. And then during the day, depending on how intense things are, like, for example, on a, on a big day where it's like highly a lot of sales, for example.
[:
[00:36:22] Which I find so freaking hard by the way. I don't know. Some people just do it well and I don't, my mind is crazy at the best of times. So it's been a real discipline for me and a real challenge more so than skydiving. I, I found skydiving really hard, but the meditation is harder. And so for me, when I get really stressed, I try to just do a five to 10 minute meditation and center myself and calm myself.
[:
[00:37:12] I love that. Okay. So Andy, I have a few just random questions to, before we start wrapping up and then we'll, we'll have you tell the listeners a little bit more about yourself and where to find you and we'll put all that stuff, good stuff in the show notes. But these, these, these aren't in the particular order, but just a few questions.
[:
[00:37:48] When you're in it or when once you're through it? Yeah. Yeah. Great question. Look, I think it's easier to talk about it when you're through it. It's definitely harder to talk about it when you are, when you're really in it. I think it's a [00:38:00] really a personal decision if you can bring yourself to do it in a resourceful way.
[:
[00:38:26] So I think on an individual basis, you can make that call. Good advice. Okay. Next question. You've gone through your failure. You've come out on the other side. You just, you've experienced this resiliency. How do you feel it's influenced your leadership style today? Yeah, great question. I think I, I think in regards to my leadership style, I am definitely, like more humble in a good way.
[:
[00:39:18] Then then probably previously that I had. Yeah. Awesome. And what would you say is your version of success now? Yeah, great question. Definitely financial success is a huge part of that, but to me, it's, it's actually more about my character and my ability now, like looking good and saying your good is one thing, but, but actually being that embodying those lessons every day to me is the most valuable thing and that's why I'm always challenging myself, skydiving, pushing my body.
[:
[00:40:11] Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I said, I'm going to have to go skydiving because it's my biggest fear too. And it's you keep bringing it up and I'm like, so if I end up, if I end up doing it, I'll let you know. I had so much energy it'll change your life. You will be so proud of yourself It's jumping lads. Yeah. But I get, I get the context behind just face, your fears man okay. And on that note, just two more questions. My, my podcast is called the back end is unleashing greatness within what are three tips you would give the listeners to unleash their inner greatness? Look, number one is, is like challenge yourself every single day, challenge the uncomfortable, whatever, whatever you are feeling uncomfortable around, whether it's a conversation, learning a skillset, facing a fear, see that as [00:41:00] the green light, not the red light.
[:
[00:41:27] On top of challenging yourself every day, be a ferocious, ferocious learner and just be in the mix every single day. And then number three. I would say to unleash your greatness, yeah, learn to find sharing the ability to see the adversity, the gift in all of the adversity. And I think that's, on topic to what we're talking about, but if you truly want to unleash your greatness, you are constantly going to face adversity.
[:
[00:42:22] And I think that is a, a gift that will always pay dividends. The more you can dedicate yourself to learning it. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. And okay. So Andy, what would be a call to action you would give the listeners based on your message today? That they could get off this episode and implement right away this week into their life.
[:
[00:43:05] So if you can master that part, generally everything else is going to be way more successful. And then to our, to our point earlier, if you're an entrepreneur, start detaching any specific vehicle and really think about. If I have a level 10 skill set, how can I match that with a level 10 vehicle? And I think that if we can think more like that strategically, you're going to save yourself years of struggle, heartache and pain and get yourself to the outcome so much faster.
[:
[00:43:53] Because I know that they're going to want to see what you're up to, check into your businesses. So can you maybe share what is your [00:44:00] business and then where can we find you? Absolutely. So you can find out more about me, probably Instagram's the best social media platform to find me, Andy underscore I underscore Anderson on Instagram.
[:
[00:44:30] So everybody go check out Andy. He's just, he's phenomenal. I've been following you on Instagram. Your content is awesome. It's on point. It's inspiring. You're inspiring and just thank you so much for taking time out of your day and showing up here today to inspire myself and the listeners. Really appreciate your time.
[:
[00:45:07] And then going through a massive setback and then coming out, regrouping, coming out of the gate stronger, learning so much and continuing to move forward towards what his idea of success is for himself. And I have seen failure, quote unquote failure, take so many people. off track and stop them in from getting their goals and their belief in themselves and for what's possible.
[:
[00:45:59] So go and [00:46:00] check it out. He clearly knows what he's doing. He's created and is creating that himself and then some, right? Multi millionaire. And so go and check out his courses. And just really appreciate him being here. Thank you everybody for coming on and listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, friendly reminder to subscribe, go and leave a review, reach out to me, comment, ask questions.
